


The Five Times They Spent Valentine’s Day Apart + The One Time They Didn’t

by ironicbird



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, References to Canon, Valentine's Day, brief mention of batcat and timsteph, going through all the dc reboots is fun lmao, references to canon deaths and violence, unbeta'd we die like my love life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29434659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironicbird/pseuds/ironicbird
Summary: In the line of work that Conner and Tim are in, there are many things that can keep people apart. Everything from missions, to death, to universe reboots can prevent you from being with the ones you love.A Valentine's Day themed 5 + 1 fic. The five times Conner and Tim spent Valentine's Day apart, plus the one time they didn't.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	The Five Times They Spent Valentine’s Day Apart + The One Time They Didn’t

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline on this is probably not 100% accurate but it’s fine lmao. Instead of being placed in the pre-New 52 universe like most of my fics, I’m actually universe hopping for fun. So you’ll see pre-New 52, New 52, Rebirth, and the potential future I imagine based on current DC solicits and my own selfish desires. So if you’re reading this a year from now, it probably won’t be accurate to what DC actually does but oh well. But as for the earlier stuff, everything I’m referencing is something that did happen although if anything doesn’t exactly match up with canon it’s just because I didn’t get the chance to re-read some of these comics to ensure accuracy and still finish this before Valentine’s Day so oops sorry. Also, I wrote this pretty fast and it's unbeta'd so if there are any errors, I'm also sorry for that.

**1\. The Mission Comes First**

The tape slid out of the VCR with a soft _clunk_. Tim took the tape and with a sharpie wrote “Wendy S2 Ep 11” on the side before sliding the tape onto the shelf besides the rest.

Kon had been gone for months on some sort of mission that Bruce wouldn’t talk to Tim about. All that Tim knew was that it was a mission of vital importance that only Kon could do, and that they weren’t sure if Kon would make it back.

Bruce had been there to see Kon off, but Tim hadn’t. Tim and the rest of the Young Justice team had only been informed of this mission after Kon had already left. They were angry and upset to be excluded, but there wasn’t anything they could do by this point. Kon was already gone. Needless to say, the absence of a teammate was really putting a damper on the team’s Valentine’s Day plans.

The rest of the team was downstairs hanging pink and red paper hearts on the walls and setting out snacks for their team party, but no one was really in a party mood. Nevertheless, Cassie had insisted on still holding the event because she said Kon would have wanted them to. Tim would be joining them shortly to help, but he couldn’t miss out on taping Wendy the Werewolf Stalker for Kon. Kon would never let Tim hear the end of it if Kon missed out on all of those episodes while he was gone.

Kon would be back. He had to. Tim couldn’t be taping all of these episodes for nothing. He would be back. Tim had faith in him, even if nobody else did.

Tim hadn’t told the others yet, but he had found an advertisement that Cadmus had put out, looking for a replacement resident superhero due to Kon’s absence. It seemed like Cadmus had lost faith in Kon’s return. But Tim wouldn’t, and neither would the rest of the team.

Tomorrow, Tim would tell them about the advertisement. He was sure the team would insist on going to Cadmus, but not to fill the ad. They would want to go to find out what happened to Kon. But, today was Valentine’s Day, and no matter how dumb the holiday might seem to be in context of what was currently going on, the team needed some time to relax and unwind.

Despite the festivities, it felt like there was a hole at the heart of the team. The only thing they could cling onto was the hope that Kon would return safe and sound. The hope that he was still out there somewhere, fighting to get back. The hope that by next Valentine’s Day, the team would be whole.

“Hey, you coming?” Tim heard Cassie yell from below. They must be wrapping up the preparations for the party.

“Be right down,” Tim yelled back. He ran a finger along the sides of the VCR tapes as he started heading out of the room.

He would be watching those with Kon soon. He was sure of it.

**2\. Till Death Do Us Part**

The statue in the front of Titans Tower always haunted Tim. He understood that it was to honor a fallen teammate, a fallen…friend. But it was constructed of cold, hard metal, not flesh and bone, and lacked all the softness that Conner once had. It was a frigid ghost, a looming specter of the original, a constant reminder of all they had lost.

It had been a year since Conner’s death, but none of them had truly gotten over it. The void he left was like a massive black hole, sucking the life out of everyone on the team. Bart’s death hadn’t helped things either, and it seemed as though the entire soul of the team had died along with the two of them. The Titans were all shells of their former selves, hollowed out by loss. Yet, they pressed on regardless, doing their best to make through each and every day. They were the Teen Titans, and they had a duty to uphold the legacy associated with that name, no matter the trials and tribulations.

Regardless, the past year had been…rough to say the very least. Tim had fallen into the pits of despair, attempting to clone his best friend back to life to no avail. Tim still remembered the desperate moment he and Cassie had shared in his secret lab. That was the moment that Tim had finally realized exactly what Conner had meant to him.

Tim had thought that he had feelings for Cassie, but it wasn’t until he kissed her that he realized what he was really seeing in her was the fragments of Conner that had been left behind. Tim assumed Cassie realized the same, and they both immediately regretted the kiss.

But it got Tim thinking, and that thinking led to the realization that Conner had meant more to him than just a friend. There was something…more. Tim did not have the words to describe what Conner meant to him, but he knew it extended beyond friendship. That would explain why out of all of the people that Tim had lost in the past year, Bart, Stephanie, his dad, Conner was the only one that he had tried to bring back. The only one that he couldn’t live without. The one who left the biggest gaping wound in his heart. Tim would do anything to get the people he loved back, but for Conner, he would attempt to defy the laws of universe. Conner was Tim’s entire world, and Tim hadn’t realized what he had until he lost it.

And in the end, Tim had failed to bring Conner back, even after all of that. He had failed to bring back the most important person in his life.

Tim felt a tear slide down his face. Good thing he was alone, right? No one around to see him cry, other than the lifeless face of Conner’s statue.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Tim whispered to the statue, but in reality, to no one at all.

_I only wish I could’ve told you before it was too late._

**3\. A Warped Reflection of Another Past**

Tim wrapped a bandage around his arm, replacing the bloodied bandage from before. The battle against Superboy had been rough on the whole team, and Tim could tell they were hanging on by a thread. Not to mention, they had almost lost Bart to whatever Superboy’s powers did to him. There hadn’t been enough time yet to build the strong internal bonds required for a cohesive team, and Tim wasn’t sure where exactly everyone’s loyalties lied.

The one thing he did know, was that they had to rescue Superboy from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Superboy could have hauled their asses in, but he didn’t. Why?

The only possible explanation was that Superboy was a prisoner of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. just like Bart and Kiran had been. He had been forced to work for them for some reason or another. It hadn’t been a choice. And if that was in fact the case, Superboy’s failure to bring them in would likely result in dire punishment for him. He needed help, and Tim wasn’t going to stand by and let terrible things happen to someone who was actually innocent.

Tim wouldn’t be able to infiltrate N.O.W.H.E.R.E. alone, but he doubted that any of the others would be eager to break into the headquarters of the organization that was trying to capture them all to rescue the boy who just tried to kill them all. If he had to though, Tim would go alone. He would figure it out as he went, just like he always did.

Tim was rational, logical, always thinking twenty steps ahead. But something about this drive to rescue Superboy felt irrational, and Tim couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He knew the logical reasons for rescuing Superboy, but there was also something there. Something buried, and deeply emotional. Tim had no idea what exactly it was, but he knew something about this specific decision defied the normal impersonal rationality that Tim usually used when making decisions in the field.

If Tim had no sort of emotion clouding his decision, he would probably leave Superboy to die if the team did not back him up. There was no possible way that he could take down N.O.W.H.E.R.E. alone. But that unknown something was driving him to try anyways. He felt the need to save Superboy, no matter the cost.

As much as this irrationality posed a potential threat to his impartial leadership, he did not have time to dwell on this personal issue. Any potential distraction for the mission could mean deadly consequences. Tim would have to squash down this possible defect, for the sake of keeping everyone alive.

It was time to brief the others on his plan and hope that they would help him. Taking the time to determine whatever was pulling on Tim’s heart would have to wait until later. For now, he needed to get Superboy out of N.O.W.H.E.R.E.

**4\. Pieces of Me I Didn’t Realize Were Missing**

“ _Tell Conner you’re sorry, for everything.”_

_“Who the hell is Conner?”_

Tim was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Flashes of his conversations and battles with his possible future self echoed through his mind. He had been placed under a mandatory rest period so he could recover from being trapped in another dimension, his injuries from his imprisonment that hadn’t quite healed, and the ensuing battle against Savior that had followed. This was the first time since all of that where things had been calm enough to take any moment of reprieve. However, what his family had failed to realize was that he was itching to get out and do something, anything. He had been sitting around in a cell for what felt like ages already, and he wanted to get back into the action.

Despite the fact that every bone in his body ached to get back into the field, Tim was managing to distract himself from his itch to get out by getting lost in his thoughts. Some of the things that Savior had said to him were haunting him. Namely, whoever this “Conner” person was supposed to be.

Tim didn’t know anyone named Conner, but the name was pulling on his heart somehow. It left an ache like an empty hole in his soul. After hearing the name, Tim somehow felt…incomplete? Like he was missing a piece of himself that he hadn’t realized was lost.

Perhaps Conner was just someone that he hadn’t met yet. Savior was a version of himself from the future after all, and there was a lot more future to go before Tim was that age. Perhaps the timeline wonkiness had simply made Savior confused at where present Tim was currently at in the timeline.

But that wouldn’t explain why the name “Conner” was causing such an emotional reaction from him at this moment in time. If they were to meet in the future, Tim shouldn’t be feeling an internal hollowness from that name now. It didn’t make any sense.

The only other possible explanation that Tim could think of was that he had already met a Conner, but somehow his memories of that person had been erased. If that was true, it opened up another realm of possibilities. Where had Tim met this Conner? What had that Conner meant to him to cause such an intense emotional reaction in him? And who or what erased Tim’s memories of this person?

Tim didn’t know, and unlike most of his mysteries, he didn’t even know where to start when it came to solving this one. Perhaps Bruce knew someone who could help bring some memories back? He would have to remember to talk to Bruce about it later.

For now, Tim had to start getting ready to go. He was being released from his rest period to take Stephanie out for Valentine’s Day.

Later he would figure this all out. Figure out who this Conner was, and what he meant to Tim. Something was pulling at his heartstrings, and he needed to know what it was.

He would just have to wait and see.

**5\. Where Do We Go From Here?**

Tim perched on a rooftop in Gotham, surveying the city. The cold wind blew gently through his hair, the air carrying the distinctive stench of the city. But for someone who had been born and raised in this place, the smell simply felt like home.

A lot had happened recently, namely the restoration of all of his memories, of every timeline. It was…a muddled mess to say the least. It hadn’t all come back in a sudden rush like one might have expected. Instead, he kept getting flashes of his previous lives at random moments, like pieces of a puzzle slowly sliding back into place. Tim supposed that his mortal mind simply wasn’t able to handle everything all at once, so this was his mind’s way of knitting itself back together, piece by piece.

At least he wasn’t facing this alone, everyone seemed to be experiencing the same thing simultaneously. Tim was able to talk to his friends and family about the fragments that they were collecting, and together they were all piecing together their collective pasts.

The most jarring memories that were returning were those of Conner. Some of Tim’s memories of Conner had returned when Zatanna had done her magic on him, but she had not released the memories that were steeped in emotion. As those memories began returning, Tim was starting to realize exactly what Conner had meant to him, across every timeline.

It was…substantial, the level of feelings that Tim had experienced for Conner. They had been friends, then something beyond that neither of them had the chance to name before Conner died. Then Conner had died, and when that memory returned, Tim had felt the agony of that loss all over again. Things after that were more confusing. He had been…different. Very different. Yet he still met a version of Conner in that timeline as well. Then he was different again, but less different.

As for what he was now, Tim didn’t know. He supposed he was a conglomeration of all of those Tims simultaneously. But Tim wasn’t so sure that was an accurate explanation. Tim wasn’t just a mix of former Tims, he was something new…someone new.

The _only_ thing that made sense to Tim in this crazy, confusing new world was Conner. He knew that he wanted to find Conner; he wanted to _be with_ Conner, more than anything else in the world.

But as far as Tim knew right now, Conner was off somewhere with the Suicide Squad. Tim had hacked into Amanda Waller’s servers and found the files on team that she was attempting to build. Waller had always been a shady woman, but now she seemed to be obsessed with creating the most powerful team she could. And somehow, she had gotten Conner to be a part of that.

But Conner had to be just as confused as Tim, going through the same things that everyone else was going through. He needed something stable to help him through this. Tim wanted to be that stability for him. Tim wanted nothing more than to be there for Conner.

Tomorrow, Tim was telling Bruce that he was leaving Gotham to search for Conner. He would’ve told Bruce tonight, but Bruce was taking Selina out for a fancy dinner in honor of Valentine’s Day. It felt strange to be celebrating such a mundane holiday after everything that had happened, but also a nice semblance of reality, which was something that felt increasingly fuzzy with every passing day, every returning memory.

_I will find you_ , Tim thought to himself.

_And then I’m never letting you go again._

**+1. From Here, Into the Future.**

Tim awoke to the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes and the clanking of various pots and pans in the kitchen. Conner must be up already. And making breakfast for the two of them? That was new, but a welcome surprise. Tim knew that Conner had cooked with Ma Kent before, but he had also once almost burned down the Teen Titans kitchen while making spaghetti, so Tim wasn’t sure how much he trusted Conner in the kitchen. Tim shifted slightly in the sheets, fully intending to start getting up to help Conner with breakfast, but the bed was just so comfortable and he felt so relaxed, that he found himself dozing off once more.

When Tim awoke again, it was due to a gentle hand brushing a lock of hair away from where it had slid onto his eyelid during his sleep. Then, soft lips pressed lightly against his cheek. Tim let out a soft hum, to indicate to Conner that he was in fact waking up.

“Are you going to sleep the whole day away?” Conner asked quietly.

Tim rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes, giving Conner a soft smile, “No, although it was tempting.”

Conner let out an amused huff, “Well, if you want to eat your breakfast warm, you’d better get up soon.”

Tim stretched his arms above his head, “I’m coming, I’m coming. You didn’t have to make breakfast by the way.”

“Well, you’re the one taking me out for our Valentine’s Day dinner tonight, so I figured I’d make you breakfast to be fair,” Conner replied.

Tim grinned, “You’re such a sap.”

“I’m your sap,” Conner smiled back, before placing another soft kiss on Tim’s forehead, “Now c’mon, before the food gets cold.”

“You go ahead, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Tim replied. Conner nodded and walked back to the kitchen.

Tim slowly got out of bed and moved over to the dresser to grab a shirt before heading to the lovely breakfast prepared by his boyfriend. He pulled the shirt over his head and then examined his reflection in the mirror. His hair was still mussed from sleep, so he did his best to fix it using only his fingers.

Something about his reflection made him pause. His hands dropped out of his hair and down to his side as he gazed at the portrait of himself in the mirror. Tim looked different somehow. He was definitely older, but that wasn’t it. Even in all of his memories, of every timeline he had existed in, there was something about him now that wasn’t emulated by any of his previous selves. He just couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He must have been staring for a while because Conner’s voice called from the other room, “Babe, you coming or not? Because if you take any longer, I might just start stealing some of your pancakes.”

Tim smiled, “I’m coming, I swear,” he called back before turning back to the mirror.

That was it. He saw it in his reflection. The smile on his face, the twinkle in his eye. He was…happy. Deeply, genuinely, profoundly happy. He felt complete, whole, and fulfilled. That was something that no other version of him at this age had. That was the difference.

Tim supposed he owed it to Conner. Having Conner in his life took away the ache that had plagued so many of his past iterations. Every day with Conner felt like a breath of fresh air, like coming home to warmth and love. He would never grow tired of it.

“Babe c’mon, it’s Valentine’s Day,” Conner whined from the kitchen.

“I’ll be with you in a sec,” Tim called back.

For a second, for a minute, for a year, for a lifetime, Tim would be with him. They had beaten the odds, overcome timelines and even death to find each other. And now that they had each other, Tim was never letting go.

For every Valentine’s Day from this day forward, Tim would make sure they would be spending it together.

**Author's Note:**

> The ending was kinda cheesy but I hope y’all enjoyed and hope you have a nice Valentine’s Day! Even if you’re single as hell like me and probably just gonna get drunk and watch cheesy romcoms while crying for hours. This is not an exaggeration, that’s what I did the first Valentine’s Day that I was 21 (aka last year) and able to buy alcohol for myself. I only had $5 in my pocket at the time so I bought a $3.50 bottle of rosé at Walmart and got drunk alone and watched the first two To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movies and cried. Don’t buy cheap rosé by the way…worst hangover I’ve ever had. Good times. The third movie in that series came out a couple of days ago so I’m probably gonna just repeat that tonight but with better alcohol.
> 
> Also, so #1 came from Conner’s first Superboy run. #2 is in reference to Conner’s death in Infinite Crisis. #3 is based on the New 52 Teen Titans. #4 is in reference to the Savior arc in Detective Comics Rebirth. #5 is my imaginings of the future based on what comics Tim and Conner have been solicited for after Future State. And the +1 is based my selfish desire to see canon Timkon. The New 52 one was the hardest one for me to write because I hate the New 52 Teen Titans but I re-read the first couple just to write this and I regret it so much. So, if that one seemed short or bad, that’s why lmao.
> 
> Anyways, find me on Tumblr or Twitter @scarletbirbs for both but I’m way more active on Tumblr.


End file.
